Under the coordination of the Directorate General of Development Agencies of the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey, the training program of the camp held at our Mustafapaşa Campus was conducted by our University. The program, which involved 40 representatives of cooperatives, entrepreneurs and development agency experts from different provinces of Turkey, implemented a multifaceted training model that combines academic knowledge and experience in the field.

Trainings taught by academics and industry representatives specialized in the field included cooperation, branding, innovative product development, cultural heritage-oriented storytelling, experiential tourism, digital marketing, AI-powered content production and e-commerce topics. The participants were presented with theoretical knowledge as well as practical methods on increasing the added value of local products, making them visible with their original stories and bringing them to wider markets.

The educational program moved beyond classroom studies, supported by field trips, cooperative visits, experience-sharing sessions, and evening talks attended by expert guests in the field. The participants had the opportunity to examine different production models and examples of good practice on the spot and to make evaluations on their own work by communicating directly with experts.

Combining the academic knowledge of our university with the needs of local production, the program dealt with traditional production culture and current technology, design and marketing methods in a holistic educational approach. In addition to developing the production, branding and marketing capacities of cooperatives, the camp also laid the groundwork for sharing knowledge between participants from different regions and the establishment of new collaborations.

The Cooperative Camp in Anadolu ended with the presentation of their certificates to the participants who successfully completed the training program.